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Simon Peter

Retold by Alan Moore and Gill Tavner

Illustrated by Karen Donnelly

ISBN: 978-1-906230-26-5

F&P Level: X what is this?

£6.99

Catching fish. That’s what I was doing on the day that changed my life for ever.

Although Simon has no idea why Jesus is beckoning to him from the beach, he agrees to leave his nets and follow him.

A robust, enthusiastic fisherman, Simon makes more mistakes and asks more questions than the other disciples. Why then, he wonders, does Jesus call him Peter, which means ‘rock’?

When Jesus is arrested everybody except Simon Peter flees, but is he brave enough to stand by Jesus until the end? After Jesus’s death, how will Simon Peter spread Jesus’s teachings? Will he make the right decisions? Can he calm the rivalries developing among Jesus’s followers?

Is he brave enough to die for his beliefs?

Click here for the Simon Peter concordance


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Sindbad the Sailor

from the One Thousand and One Nights

Retold by Ali Abdul-Qader

Illustrated by Sura Ghazwan

ISBN: 978-1-911091-02-8

£6.99

A great roaring came from the mouth of the cave and to our horror we saw an enormous giant striding towards us. His skin was a sickly green, and his eyes burned red like fiery coals.

Sindbad makes an enormous fortune from his voyages, but he cannot resist joining further dangerous expeditions to far off lands. Will anything persuade him to remain at home in Baghdad?

When Sindbad finds himself in the valley of huge serpents, there seems no way out. What clever plan does he use to escape?

How can Sindbad and his friends possibly survive when they are trapped by a gigantic monster who seems determined to cook and eat each of them in turn?

The Old Man of the Sea is weak and feeble, and asks for Sindbad’s help. But can he be trusted?

After Sindbad marries for the first time, tragedy strikes when his wife falls sick and dies. When he finds a second bride, will they ever find happiness together?


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South

Ernest Shackleton

Retold by John MacKenna

Illustrated by Maurice Pierse

ISBN: 978-1-911091-03-5

£6.99

At 5 o’clock on the evening of November 21st, after the ice had drawn back like pall bearers at a funeral, Endurance slipped lower in the water, her stern pointing skywards. We stood in silence while she said her last farewell. A cacophony of cracking timber and rushing water signalled her end and then she was silent, slipping into the watery grave. The bravest ship, she had struggled to the bitter end and now she was gone. Endurance – well named.

When his ship Endurance sinks in the icy Antarctic, Ernest Shackleton is left with the responsibility of getting his crew safely back home. Can they survive crossing dangerous icefloes and setting up camp on a remote island?

Even when they reach land nobody will know where they are unless somebody can sail the tiny ship’s boat across eight hundred miles of the world’s most dangerous seas to summon help. Can it be done?


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Tess of the d’Urbervilles

Thomas Hardy

Retold by Maxine Linnell

Illustrated by Ann Kronheimer

ISBN: 978-1-906230-40-1

F&P Level: Y what is this?

£6.99

Following a series of misfortunes, Tess Durbeyfield leaves her impoverished family to seek work with her rich relations.

Her new employer, Alec d’Urberville, seems charming and kind. Tess has a mind of her own, but she is vulnerable and alone among strangers. Can she trust Alec?

A year later Tess meets Angel Clare, and they fall in love. If Angel discovers the truth about Tess’s past, will he still love her?

In this gripping story of courage, love and betrayal, Thomas Hardy asks many difficult questions. Are the expectations of women and men the same? Can we ever escape the consequences of our past actions? How much pain can one person live with?


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The Awakening

Kate Chopin

Retold by JoAnne Drake

Illustrated by Stephen Davis

ISBN: 978-1-906230-78-4

F&P Level: Z what is this?

£6.99

What price will Edna Pontellier pay to be free?

She seems to have everything she needs – her loving husband Léonce, two beautiful children, and a wonderful home in turn-of-the-century New Orleans. But deep inside her burns a creative fire that longs to be unleashed.

One summer changes everything. When Edna meets Robert, she starts to question all that she was taught to believe. Is her comfortable marriage nothing more than a cage? Will she ever be able to explore her creativity and passion to the full? Is it possible for a woman to be responsible for the needs of others and still to live her own life to the full?


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The Brothers Karamazov

Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Retold by Tony Evans

Illustrated by Maxim Larin

ISBN: 978-1-911091-05-9

£6.99

As Dimitry struck him Grigory screamed and fell back, the blood streaming horribly from his head. Dimitry bent over him, trying to stop the flow with his handkerchief which turned soaking red in an instant.

Alexey, Ivan and Dimitry Karamazov were sent away by their father Fyodor when they were very young, and never knew a father’s love. Now what will Dimitry’s bitter quarrel with Fyodor lead to?

Dimitry and his father both want to marry the beautiful Grushenka. Fyodor is old and ugly, but offers her wealth and security. Will she accept either of them, and if so, which?

The sickly, timid servant Smerdyakov confesses to a terrible crime. Is he telling the truth?

Can the deadly rivalry between father and son be settled peacefully, or must it end in tragedy?


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The Call of the Wild

Jack London

Retold by Hagit Borer

Illustrated by Melanie Reim

ISBN: 978-1-906230-77-7

ATOS®/AR Level: 6.1 what is this?

F&P Level: X what is this?

£6.99

Buck recognised the wild brother. He was whining softly, and they touched noses. A second wolf, old and battle-scarred, came forward and sniffed noses with him; he sat down, pointed his nose at the moon, and broke out in a long wolf howl. Buck, too, sat down and howled.

Buck, a big, powerful dog, is kidnapped from his California home and sold as a sled dog in the Arctic. In his new environment he must learn quickly how to deal with man’s club and dog’s fang, or he will not be able to survive.

He is transformed by two opposing forces – his love for John Thornton who saved his life, and the memories that awaken within him of the ways of his ancestors, both dogs and wolves. How will Buck survive, and not just survive, but become a leader of dogs and eventually a leader of wolves?


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The Gold-Bug

Edgar Allan Poe

Retold by Gill Tavner

Illustrated by Felix Bennett

ISBN: 978-1-906230-81-4

Lexile® Rating: 820L what is this?

ATOS®/AR Level: 5.2 what is this?

£6.99

‘Dat gold-bug was a vicious bug. Massa caught it first but it bit him. I think da bite has made Massa poorly. It has affected him in da head.’

William Legrand has found a new type of bug, a golden bug, unusually heavy. His servant, Jupiter, is worried. Why is Legrand behaving so oddly? Has the bug’s bite made him mad? When Legrand shows his friend a drawing of the gold-bug, it looks more like a skull. What can this mean?

The arrival of the gold-bug leads the three men on an exciting adventure towards skeletons, a skull, and a hunt for buried treasure.

Should we believe Jupiter’s superstitious fears, or is there a more logical explanation of events? If there is, can you, the reader, discover it?


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The Great Gatsby

F. Scott Fitzgerald

Retold by Sean Connolly

Illustrated by Sam Kalda

ISBN: 978-1-906230-74-6

Lexile® Rating: 900L what is this?

ATOS®/AR Level: 5.7 what is this?

F&P Level: Z what is this?

£6.99

Nick Carraway’s mysterious neighbour Gatsby gazes across the dark bay at a distant green light.

As the summer unfolds, Nick is drawn into Gatsby’s world of luxury cars, speedboats and extravagant parties. But the more he hears about Gatsby – even from what Gatsby himself tells him – the less he is sure of the truth. Did Gatsby really go to Oxford University? Was he a hero in the war? Did he once kill a man?

Nick recalls how he came to know Gatsby. He recounts how he enters the world of his cousin Daisy and her wealthy husband Tom. But does their money make them any happier? How do everybody’s stories connect?

Will you come to know the real Gatsby after reading Nick’s account of that fateful summer?


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The Heart of Midlothian

Walter Scott

Retold by Margaret Elphinstone

Illustrated by Ken Laidlaw

ISBN: 978-1-906230-41-8

F&P Level: X what is this?

£6.99

Edinburgh, 1736.

In the town’s grim prison, the Heart of Midlothian, two prisoners await execution. Captain Porteous of the Town Guard has been sentenced to death for ordering his soldiers to open fire on Edinburgh citizens. He hopes for reprieve. The people want revenge.

Effie Deans, wrongly accused of killing her new-born baby, will die unless her sister Jeanie tells a lie. Jeanie, determined to save her sister, makes a terrifying journey as Effie’s life hangs in the balance.

Will the two prisoners get the justice they deserve?


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The Hound of the Baskervilles

Arthur Conan Doyle

Retold by Tony Evans

Illustrated by Felix Bennett

ISBN: 978-1-906230-49-4

Lexile® Rating: 920L what is this?

ATOS®/AR Level: 5.6 what is this?

F&P Level: W what is this?

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Upon the ground around the body were the footprints of a gigantic hound!

When Sir Charles Baskerville is found dead, his face distorted with shock and horror, Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson are faced with a sinister and difficult puzzle.

A fearsome creature stalks the wild and barren hills of Dartmoor. Is it a demon from the spirit world? Will it defeat their skill and courage?

Who is the tall, mysterious figure seen lurking on the moor at night?

Can Holmes save Sir Henry, the new owner of Baskerville Hall, from the ancient family curse? Or will the terrifying hound claim yet another victim?


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The Hunchback of Notre Dame

Victor Hugo

Retold by Tony Evans

Illustrated by Catty Flores

ISBN: 978-1-906230-69-2

F&P Level: W what is this?

£6.99

A frightful horde of men and women, armed with scythes, pikes, billhooks and rusty swords, advanced towards the massive front doors of Notre Dame Cathedral.

For many years Quasimodo the bellringer has lived peacefully in the Cathedral of Notre Dame with his master, Archdeacon Claude Frollo. But the arrival of Esmeralda, the young and dazzlingly beautiful gypsy dancer, changes everything.

Esmeralda has fallen in love with the brave and handsome Captain Phoebus. Will the Archdeacon be able to control his violent jealousy when Esmeralda rejects him?

Esmeralda’s life is in danger, but Quasimodo will do anything to protect her. When the King's soldiers clash with the thieves and beggars of Paris, can the innocent young dancer survive?


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The Iliad

Homer

Retold by Beatrice Sampatakou

Illustrated by Thanos Tsilis

ISBN: 978-1-906230-53-1

ATOS®/AR Level: 6.7 what is this?

F&P Level: Y what is this?

£6.99

It is the ninth year of the siege of Troy by the Greeks. Will the fighting go on for ever?

Achilles, the greatest of Greek heroes, is angered by Agamemnon and decides to withdraw from the battle. What is the reason for his wrath? Is there anything that will make him change his mind and return to the battlefield?

Both armies have suffered tremendous losses, and the long war seems to be heading towards a stalemate. The Greeks, however, have an ingenious stratagem that may well determine the outcome of the war.

Brave warriors, noble heroes, women of divine beauty and envious gods moved by human passions come alive in this wonderful retelling of the most famous epic war story of all time.


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The Lost World

Arthur Conan Doyle

Retold by Chaz Brenchley

Illustrated by Felix Bennett

ISBN: 978-1-906230-14-2

ATOS®/AR Level: 5.4 what is this?

F&P Level: X what is this?

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‘Dinosaurs are most certainly not extinct. I have seen them.’

An incredible claim by the eccentric Professor Challenger leads to an expedition deep into the Amazon, where an unlikely group of men find themselves on a journey into unknown dangers. Will they have the skills, strength, intelligence and good fortune to survive?

Do dinosaurs really exist on the inaccessible plateau? How did a human skeleton become impaled on a bamboo spike? Can humans survive in a land of such primitive powers?

If journalist Edward Malone ever returns home to write his newspaper report, will it be to declare Challenger a madman or a genius?


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The Mayor of Casterbridge

Thomas Hardy

Retold by Maxine Linnell

Illustrated by Ann Kronheimer

ISBN: 978-1-906230-39-5

F&P Level: Y what is this?

£6.99

Michael Henchard knew he deserved the pain he felt.

Henchard is a handsome farm labourer. When he gets drunk at a country fair, he sells his wife and child to a sailor. The next day, ashamed by what he has done, he lets people believe that his wife has died. Thus begins a chain of events which leads Henchard deep into dishonesty and betrayal.

Repentant and determined to change his ways, Henchard works hard to improve his fortunes. He becomes rich, and is elected mayor of Casterbridge – though his temper and his pride make him difficult to like.

When Henchard’s wife and daughter come back to find him, will he accept them? And what might they want from him? Will a reunion mean a happy ending?


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The Mill on the Floss

George Eliot

Retold by Gill Tavner

Illustrated by Sarah Wimperis

ISBN: 978-1-906230-59-3

Lexile® Rating: 840L what is this?

ATOS®/AR Level: 5.3 what is this?

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Why was this feeling of regret so familiar to her? Why must she always wish she had done something different?

Maggie Tulliver and her brother Tom grow up in the Mill on the River Floss. Although Maggie adores Tom, she often finds him cruel and cold. All she wants is for life to be full and warm.

The Tulliver family’s traditional way of living is threatened by changes beyond their control. Will the educated world of lawyers and lawsuits destroy what generations have enjoyed?

As Maggie grows into adulthood, how can she control her passionate nature? With a destiny like an unmapped river – full, deep and rapid – where will love and desire lead her? Where will it all end?


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The Moonstone

Wilkie Collins

Retold by Tony Evans

Illustrated by Felix Bennett

ISBN: 978-1-906230-51-7

Lexile® Rating: 880L what is this?

ATOS®/AR Level: 5.5 what is this?

F&P Level: W what is this?

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Rachel opened the box and lifted out the diamond. She held it up in a ray of sunlight that poured through the window, and cried out in amazement.

When Rachel Verinder inherits the Moonstone from her uncle on her eighteenth birthday, the wonderful jewel is intended to make her rich and happy. So why is her mother so worried about this valuable gift?

Rachel seems very fond of her cousin, Franklin Blake. When trouble strikes, why does she refuse his help? What has he done to offend her?

Can Sergeant Cuff, the famous detective, solve the dangerous mystery of the Moonstone before it is too late?


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The Murders in the Rue Morgue

Edgar Allan Poe

Retold by Gill Tavner

Illustrated by Felix Bennett

ISBN: 978-1-906230-48-7

Lexile® Rating: 890L what is this?

F&P Level: Z what is this?

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Here is a test, a puzzle for you. It is a faithful account of two most gruesome murders. Can you work out what actually happened in the early hours of one fateful morning in the Rue Morgue?

Before you start, here are a few tips. To be a good detective you need the same skills as a good card-player. You must consider and examine every detail, not just the obvious ones. You have to observe every change in a person’s face, everything they say, everything they do and you must always expect the unexpected. And finally, you must remember it all.

In this most strange tale, you’ll see a friend of mine at work. He has an astonishingly analytical mind. So, pit your own powers of analysis against his – and against mine. Can you solve the mystery of the murders in the Rue Morgue?


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The Odyssey

Homer

Retold by Beatrice Sampatakou

Illustrated by Thanos Tsilis

ISBN: 978-1-906230-54-8

ATOS®/AR Level: 6.2 what is this?

F&P Level: Y what is this?

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After ten long years of war and the fall of Troy, the Greek hero Odysseus sets sail for his homeland. His voyage, however, is destined to take much longer than he expects.

During his eventful journey Odysseus comes across all sorts of monsters and mythical creatures, and loses his ships and crew. When he finally reaches his beloved island he finds his queen besieged by suitors who claim his throne. What tricks will Penelope resort to in her effort to avoid them? And how does Odysseus get rid of the impudent suitors and regain his wife and kingdom?

The amazing adventures of the legendary hero come alive in this masterful retelling of Odysseus’s epic voyage.


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The Old Curiosity Shop

Charles Dickens

Retold by Gill Tavner

Illustrated by Karen Donnelly

ISBN: 978-1-906230-63-0

Lexile® Rating: 820L what is this?

ATOS®/AR Level: 5.2 what is this?

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‘Why bless you, Little Nell! What if I had lost you?’

Little Nell Trent’s childhood is over. Her grandfather’s mind is failing, his dark secret makes him sad and distracted, and he has nobody to care for him but Nell.

The grotesque Daniel Quilp is out to cause trouble. What plans does he hatch with the dreadful Sampson and Sally Brass? What use can he hope to make of the foolish Dick Swiveller? Is Nell’s one true friend, Kit, a match for Quilp’s villainous mind?

Nell and her grandfather must disappear or be separated forever, and so they begin their lives as beggars. When a mysterious gentleman arrives in London, determined to track them down, it becomes a race against time and against the evil of Quilp.

Can Little Nell keep her grandfather safe? Who will protect Nell? Will the mysterious gentleman find them before it is too late?


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